Anonymous
Much needed advice from someone who has been on the inside recently, & knows of what he speaks when it comes to realities of governing in the Whitehouse. I have appreciated following Pod Save America for informed debates & opinions to what seems like a total meltdown of "democracy" as it was previously portrayed to the world. They have been at the frontlines, & plus had the benefit of working with an ethical President & administration. As Dan observes, if he had done some of the things Whitehouse staffers in the Trump administration have done (particularly Hatch Act violations per Kelly Anne Conway), President Obama would have fired him, and apart from his own personal ethics stopping him from such behaviour, this is the crux of the problem - leadership from the top dictates what is and is not acceptable behaviour at all levels of government (& into society at large over time). I observe from outside the USA, from an actual working democracy, & shake my head that particularly the Senate can be so unrepresentative of the population, while able to wield such disproportionate power at the whim of the Senate Leader. I commend Dan for speaking up & addressing hard facts. Of course to even start to implement reform, US voters need to vote out Republicans at every level of government, be bold & principled on behalf of the majority of the people in ensuring NO PARTY will ever be in a position to be so unprincipled & destructive again. America has up to now been seen as a beacon of freedom for those who aspire to democracy & a good chance for a decent life, but unless there is a massive correction to the current direction of things, & soon, the influence of the USA for good against the dictators & other bad actors of the world, will be completely gone. Hope Dan's ideas are taken seriously & that there is an opportunity to put some of them into action after November, for all our sakes!